Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Shoppers hunt for bargains at the Laurier Quebec shopping centre December 22, 2011 in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

The Conference Board of Canada says its monthly survey of consumer moods shows Canadians a little more upbeat about their finances this month.

The think-tank says its index of consumer confidence for January rose four points to 73.9, what it calls a "welcome development" after a dismal reading in December.

Even though consumers seem a little more optimistic in January, the measure of their willingness to spend money still sits 14.3 points below where it was at the same time in 2011.

The Conference Board says that the improvement overshadows the fact that many are still struggling with their personal finances.

Only about 16 per cent of respondents to its survey say they're better off financially than they were six months ago, while 22.3 say they believe things are tougher.